sbdcsierra Chapter 247 The Truth, Cause and Effect!
Chapter 247 The Truth, Cause and Effect!
Meanwhile, the Spirit King had already changed back into the Empress's attire and returned to the Illusionary Spirit Garden.
She stepped gracefully out of the side door, and in an instant, the maids and servants inside the hall knelt down and respectfully said in unison, "Greetings, Empress!"
The Empress's hair was as black as ink, smooth and shiny, like a waterfall cascading down.
The magnificent headdress and gorgeous clothes she wore shone brightly in the soft light of the hall.
Her exquisitely beautiful face possessed both an innate dignity and a subtle air of ease; beneath her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows, her eyes were lively and profound.
It seemed as if a thousand thoughts were hidden within him, and he was secretly pondering many matters.
She was slender and graceful, dressed in an exquisitely embroidered brocade dress that perfectly outlined her beautiful figure.
The hem of her skirt swayed gently with her steps, its lines graceful and captivating, exuding a noble yet sensual charm.
Whenever the clothes fluttered gently, they carried a faint, lingering fragrance.
This only accentuated her supreme nobility and elegance, and the entire hall seemed to shine brightly because of her presence.
The Empress languidly moved to the chair at the top of the hall, and slowly reclined on it, her posture exuding elegance.
"Rise, all of you," the Empress said softly, yet with an air of authority.
"Thank you, Empress!" The maids and servants all stood up and stood in an orderly manner on both sides.
The Empress narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "Has Luo Bingqian returned?"
A maidservant quickly stepped forward and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, we received a message from Qian'er by carrier pigeon last night. The message said that she would arrive around 1-3 PM today."
The Empress nodded slightly: "Yes, as soon as she arrives, have her come to see me immediately."
The maid replied, "Yes!"
After speaking, he returned to his original position.
The Empress slowly closed her eyes and lazily lay down on the bench for a nap.
Time passed quietly, and the sunlight outside the palace shone slowly eastward across the palace, and before we knew it, it was Shen Shi (3-5 PM).
Outside the city of Illusion, dust billowed as a woman spurred her horse and galloped towards them.
This woman was none other than Luo Bingqian, the woman the Empress had mentioned.
Since returning from Jiaxian County a year ago, Luo Bingqian has been sent by the Empress to investigate the truth behind the massacre of Sujia Village by those men in black.
Previously, the Empress had delayed sending anyone to investigate the matter thoroughly.
One reason is the shortage of available manpower;
Secondly, the country was in the midst of war and the situation was turbulent, leaving them with limited resources.
By sheer coincidence, Luo Bingqian broke through to the Middle Yuan Realm.
Her greatly increased strength made her perfectly suited for this important task, so the Empress entrusted her with the investigation.
Now, a year has passed in a flash, and we are finally seeing a glimmer of hope.
Luo Bingqian arrived at the city gate with lightning speed and quickly took out her token.
Upon seeing the token, the soldiers guarding the city immediately and respectfully made way for the passage.
Without hesitation, Luo Bingqian spurred her horse and continued galloping towards the Illusionary Spirit Garden.
The streets of the city were in ruins, with collapsed houses and cracked ground.
She has seen many places like this along her journey.
Luo Bingqian was already used to this.
She originally planned to continue her covert investigation at the border between Ling and Qin.
However, a month ago, a sudden disaster struck due to an earthquake, exacerbating the already dire situation in the Spirit Kingdom.
Left with no other option, she had to abandon the follow-up investigation and hurriedly embark on her journey home with the information she had already gathered.
Luo Bingqian spurred her horse and soon arrived at the Illusionary Spirit Garden. She nimbly dismounted and hurried into the garden.
In the garden, the maid Ninglu had been waiting for a long time. As soon as she saw Luo Bingqian, Ninglu immediately went to greet her.
Upon seeing Ninglu, Luo Bingqian asked first, "Ninglu, what are you doing here? Has the Empress returned to the palace?"
When Ninglu saw Luo Bingqian, her eyes were filled with joy. She quickly stepped forward, took Luo Bingqian's hand, and said, "Qian'er, you're finally back! The Empress has been waiting for you in the main hall since early morning. Let's go in quickly!" With that, Ninglu pulled Luo Bingqian and hurried towards the main hall.
Upon entering the main hall, Luo Bingqian immediately spotted the Empress reclining on a long chair, seemingly still resting. Though anxious, she dared not disturb her rashly, and could only tiptoe to the side to wait quietly.
At this moment, Ninglu walked lightly and carefully to the Empress's side, and softly called out, "Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing Ninglu's voice, the Empress stirred slightly and let out a soft "Mmm".
Then, the Empress slowly asked, "What is it?"
Ninglu respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, Qian'er has returned."
Luo Bingqian hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down and bowed: "Qian'er greets the Empress!"
The Empress slowly opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Luo Bingqian kneeling below.
Although her expression was calm, her eyes revealed a sense of anticipation.
"Tell me, what did you find out during this investigation?"
The Empress did not tell her to get up, so Luo Bingqian remained kneeling on one knee in a respectful response.
"Your Majesty, I have successfully completed my mission. This investigation has yielded some crucial clues."
The Su family village was brutally massacred back then, and after a year of thorough investigation by my subordinates...
It was the work of "Wolf," the fifth-ranked assassin on the Qin Kingdom's Shadow Earth Ranking, and "Night," the sixth-ranked assassin, who led their subordinates.
He originally intended to go to the Senluo Tower in the Qin Kingdom to obtain intelligence.
But to everyone's surprise, Senluo Tower was unwilling to take on this business deal.
The subordinates eventually managed to bribe one of their men to obtain some information.
But all that person gave his subordinate was a single note.
That's how my subordinates learned that the reason why the two people ranked third and fourth on the Shadow Ranking had not returned for a long time after completing a mission was because of the fact that Jue and Ying had not returned for a long time.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the two assassins who went to Shangjun City to assassinate the Minister of Rites were indeed these two individuals.
It was around that time that Shadow, having received no news from either of them, began searching everywhere.
The clues eventually led to the territory of Sujia Village, which was subsequently destroyed.
However, the two men, Shadow Wolf and Night, along with their subordinates, all believed that the villagers of Su Family Village were ordinary people.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yunjiao and her companions possessed martial arts skills, which ultimately led to the failure of their operation.
My subordinates wanted to continue the investigation, but the area affected by this earthquake was very wide.
Fearing the news might leak out, the subordinates, after weighing the options, had no choice but to return first.
The Empress nodded slightly, her expression softening: "Yes, you've had a hard year."
Luo Bingqian quickly replied, "Serving the Empress is no hardship for me."
After a moment's thought, the Empress said, "You should rest well for a few days. Once this plague is resolved, then you can inform Lin Yunjiao and the others."
Luo Bingqian bowed again solemnly: "Yes, I understand. If there are no other instructions, I will take my leave."
The Empress gently raised her hand and waved, and Luo Bingqian turned around and steadily withdrew from the main hall.